HB0615 Enrolled LRB094 06297 DRJ 36371 b

1     AN ACT concerning health.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5 Reduction of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Act.
 
6     Section 5. Legislative findings and intent.
7     (a) The General Assembly finds that despite State
8 investments in health care programs, certain racial and ethnic
9 populations in Illinois continue to have significantly poorer
10 health outcomes when compared to non-Hispanic whites. The
11 General Assembly finds that local solutions to health care
12 problems can have a dramatic and positive effect on the health
13 status of these populations. Local governments and communities
14 are best equipped to: identify the health education, health
15 promotion, and disease prevention needs of the racial and
16 ethnic populations in their communities; mobilize the
17 community to address health outcome disparities; enlist and
18 organize local public and private resources and faith-based
19 organizations to address these disparities; and evaluate the
20 effectiveness of interventions.
21     (b) The Illinois Department of Human Services has several
22 initiatives to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in infant
23 mortality and diabetes, and the Illinois Department of Public
24 Health has several initiatives to address asthma; breast,
25 cervical, prostate, and colorectal cancer; kidney disease;
26 HIV/AIDS; hepatitis C; sexually transmitted diseases; adult
27 and child immunizations; cardiovascular disease; and
28 accidental injuries and violence.
29     (c) It is therefore the intent of the General Assembly to
30 provide funds within Illinois counties, in the form of
31 "Reducing Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities: Closing the
32 Gap" grants, to stimulate the development of community-based

 

 

HB0615 Enrolled - 2 - LRB094 06297 DRJ 36371 b

1 and neighborhood-based projects that will improve the health
2 outcomes of racial and ethnic populations. Further, it is the
3 intent of the General Assembly that these programs foster the
4 development of coordinated, collaborative, and broad-based
5 participation by public and private entities and by faith-based
6 organizations. Finally, it is the intent of the General
7 Assembly that the grant program function as a partnership
8 between State and local governments, faith-based
9 organizations, and private-sector health care providers,
10 including managed care, voluntary health care resources,
11 social service providers, and nontraditional partners.
 
12     Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:
13     "Department" means the Department of Public Health.
14     "Director" means the Director of Public Health.
 
15     Section 15. Grant program.
16     (a) Subject to appropriations for that purpose, the
17 Department shall establish and administer a grant program to
18 implement this Act.
19     (b) The Department shall do the following:
20         (1) Publicize the availability of funds and establish
21     an application process for submitting a grant proposal.
22         (2) Provide technical assistance and training,
23     including a statewide meeting promoting best practice
24     programs, as requested, to grant recipients.
25         (3) Develop uniform data reporting requirements for
26     the purpose of evaluating the performance of the grant
27     recipients and demonstrating improved health outcomes.
28         (4) Develop a monitoring process to evaluate progress
29     toward meeting grant objectives.
30         (5) Coordinate with the Illinois Department of Human
31     Services and existing community-based programs, such as
32     chronic disease community intervention programs, cancer
33     prevention and control programs, diabetes control
34     programs, the Children's Health Insurance (KidCare)

 

 

HB0615 Enrolled - 3 - LRB094 06297 DRJ 36371 b

1     Program, the HIV/AIDS program, immunization programs, and
2     other related programs at the State and local levels, to
3     avoid duplication of effort and promote consistency.
4     (c) The Office of Minority Health within the Department
5 shall establish measurable outcomes to achieve the goal of
6 reducing health disparities in the following priority areas:
7 asthma; breast, cervical, prostate, and colorectal cancer
8 screening; kidney disease; HIV/AIDS; hepatitis C; sexually
9 transmitted diseases; adult and child immunizations;
10 cardiovascular disease; and accidental injuries and violence.
11      The Office of Minority Health shall enhance current data
12 tools to ensure a statewide assessment of the risk behaviors
13 associated with the health disparity priority areas identified
14 in this subsection. To the extent feasible, the Office shall
15 conduct the assessment so that the results may be compared to
16 national data.
17     (d) The Director may appoint an ad hoc advisory committee
18 to: examine areas where public awareness, public education,
19 research, and coordination regarding racial and ethnic health
20 outcome disparities are lacking; consider access and
21 transportation issues that contribute to health status
22 disparities; and make recommendations for closing gaps in
23 health outcomes and increasing the public's awareness and
24 understanding of health disparities that exist between racial
25 and ethnic populations.
 
26     Section 20. Eligibility for grant.
27     (a) Any person, entity, or organization within a county may
28 apply for a grant under this Act and may serve as the lead
29 agency to administer and coordinate project activities within
30 the county and develop community partnerships necessary to
31 implement the grant.
32     (b) Persons, entities, or organizations within adjoining
33 counties with populations of less than 100,000 may jointly
34 submit a multicounty grant proposal. The proposal must clearly
35 identify a single lead agency with respect to program

 

 

HB0615 Enrolled - 4 - LRB094 06297 DRJ 36371 b

1 accountability and administration, however.
2     (c) In addition to the grants awarded under subsections (a)
3 and (b), up to 20% of the funding for the grant program shall
4 be dedicated to projects that address improving racial and
5 ethnic health status within specific urban areas identified by
6 the Department in rules.
7     (d) Nothing in this Act prevents a person, entity, or
8 organization within a county or group of counties from
9 separately contracting for the provision of racial and ethnic
10 health promotion, health awareness, and disease prevention
11 services.
 
12     Section 25. Grant proposal requirements.
13     (a) A proposal for a grant under this Act must be submitted
14 to the Department for review.
15     (b) A proposal for a grant must include each of the
16 following elements:
17         (1) The purpose and objectives of the proposed project,
18     including identification of the particular racial or
19     ethnic disparity the project will address. The proposal
20     must address one or more of the following priority areas:
21             (A) Decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in
22         maternal and infant mortality rates.
23             (B) Decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in
24         morbidity and mortality rates relating to cancer.
25             (C) Decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in
26         morbidity and mortality rates relating to HIV/AIDS.
27             (D) Decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in
28         morbidity and mortality rates relating to
29         cardiovascular disease.
30             (E) Decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in
31         morbidity and mortality rates relating to diabetes.
32             (F) Increasing adult and child immunization rates
33         in certain racial and ethnic populations.
34             (G) Decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in
35         oral health care.

 

 

HB0615 Enrolled - 5 - LRB094 06297 DRJ 36371 b

1         (2) Identification and relevance of the target
2     population.
3         (3) Methods for obtaining baseline health status data
4     and assessment of community health needs.
5         (4) Mechanisms for mobilizing community resources and
6     gaining local commitment.
7         (5) Development and implementation of health promotion
8     and disease prevention interventions.
9         (6) Mechanisms and strategies for evaluating the
10     project's objectives, procedures, and outcomes.
11         (7) A proposed work plan, including a timeline for
12     implementing the project.
13         (8) The likelihood that project activities will occur
14     and continue in the absence of funding.
15     (c) The Department shall give priority to proposals that:
16         (1) Represent areas with the greatest documented
17     racial and ethnic health status disparities.
18         (2) Exceed the minimum local contribution requirements
19     specified in Section 30.
20         (3) Demonstrate broad-based local support and
21     commitment from entities representing racial and ethnic
22     populations, including non-Hispanic whites. Indicators of
23     support and commitment may include agreements to
24     participate in the program, letters of endorsement,
25     letters of commitment, interagency agreements, or other
26     forms of support.
27         (4) Demonstrate a high degree of participation by the
28     health care community in clinical preventive service
29     activities and community-based health promotion and
30     disease prevention interventions.
31         (5) Have been submitted from counties with a high
32     proportion of residents living in poverty and with poor
33     health status indicators.
34         (6) Demonstrate a coordinated community approach to
35     addressing racial and ethnic health issues within existing
36     publicly financed health care programs.

 

 

HB0615 Enrolled - 6 - LRB094 06297 DRJ 36371 b

1         (7) Incorporate intervention mechanisms that have a
2     high probability of improving the targeted population's
3     health status.
4         (8) Demonstrate a commitment to quality management in
5     all aspects of project administration and implementation.
 
6     Section 30. Grant awards.
7     (a) The Department may award one or more grants in a county
8 or in a group of adjoining counties from which a multicounty
9 grant proposal is submitted. The Department may award an urban
10 area grant under subsection (c) of Section 20 in a county or
11 group of adjoining counties that are also receiving a grant
12 award under subsection (a) or (b) of Section 20.
13     (b) Units of local government may provide matching grants
14 to supplement those made by the Department.
15     (c) The amount of the grant award shall be based on the
16 county or urban area's population, or on the combined
17 population in a group of adjoining counties from which a
18 multicounty application is submitted, and on other factors, as
19 determined by the Department in rules.
20     (d) The Department shall begin disseminating grant awards
21 no later than January 1, 2007.
22     (e) The Department shall fund a grant under this Act for
23 one year and may renew the grant annually upon application to
24 and approval by the Department, subject to the achievement of
25 quality standards, objectives, and outcomes and to the
26 availability of funds.
 
27     Section 35. Continued operation of programs to reduce
28 racial and ethnic disparities in infant mortality and diabetes.
29 Subject to the amounts appropriated for that purpose, the
30 Illinois Department of Human Services shall continue to operate
31 programs to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in infant
32 mortality and diabetes.